“Be careful to make them according to the pattern you have been shown on the mountain.” (v. 40)

If you’ve made it this far into the Old Testament before, then you know what’s coming—and you probably aren’t thrilled:

Verse after verse—paragraph after paragraph!—of detailed instructions for Israel’s worship.

It can seem tedious to the modern reader. You’re likely not overly concerned about the height of the table or the placement of the poles or the shape of the lampstand. Never mind if you’re reading an old-fashioned translation, where everything is measured in handbreadths and cubits.

So…why is this Bible?

Try seeing it this way:

Holy God is serious about worship.

We don’t worship Him just any old way. He graciously welcomes His people into His presence—but our approach is according to His pattern. How we prepare our hearts, how we give, how we ought to act in worship—He cares, and He cares enough to tell us.

In the Old Testament, it sounds a lot like Exodus 25. But read the New Testament closely, too, and you’ll find another incredibly detailed pattern for worship. We are still asked to come to Him, in Christ, with particular repentance and character and offerings—and the organization of the church ought to represent the same deliberate approach.

May we worship the God who cares how we worship, and may we keep to His patterns.

— Tyler